To provide information to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) about the potential for sequestration in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 and how the Department of Labor (Department) would apply sequestration to mandatory Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs for FY 2014, so that SWAs can make necessary operational changes.

To announce the availability of funds for the 2013 ETA Research Papers Program. This initiative will provide approximately $80,000 in funds, for up to 10 projects, to doctoral and post-doctoral students interested in writing scholarly, policy-relevant research papers on topics of interest to the public workforce investment system. These applications are due on November 11, 2013.

To transmit the subject computation for State Workforce Agency usage in computing minimum weekly DUA amounts for all major disasters declared during the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2014.

To provide the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) information on the nomination extension process for EZs, and the date when SWAs can start processing certification requests for the two target groups, which require its members to reside in EZs.

To update ET Handbook No. 395, 5th Edition, to include BAM standards for exhaustive attempts to obtain claimant information and to establish guidelines for coding errors when claimants fail to respond.

To notify State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) of the availability of funds through the Supplemental Budget Request (SBR) process for costs related to the implementation of sequestration requirements impacting the EUC program in FY 2014.

To inform states of the extension of approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the use of the Form MA 8-7, Transmittal for Unemployment Insurance Materials, and to remind states to use it to transmit unemployment insurance materials.

To announce the release and availability of the Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws Effective July 2013.

This Training and Employment Notice (TEN) is intended to improve reporting on training related employment for WIA programs. The TEN begins with general overview of the current state of the training-related employment and occupation information in the Workforce Investment Act Standardized Record Data (WIASRD) for individuals that obtained employment after program exit. Second, this TEN presents the challenges associated with collecting this information. Lastly, the TEN will present some state practices on effective ways to collect and report on training-related employment for WIA exiters who received training and obtained employment.

To notify WIA Section 166 Indian and Native American (INA) grantees of a pilot study on credentials received by participants of the Native American Employment and Training program and to provide guidance on how to define a credential. The pilot study will be for one year, from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014. All grantees will be included in the pilot study, however, no additional information will be required from grantees as the data will be obtained from the Standard Participant Information Record (SPIR) file that grantees already submit every quarter. Upon completion of the study, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) – in consultation with the Secretary of Labor’s (Secretary) Native American Employment and Training Council (NAETC) – will establish a “credential goal” for the Native American, Section 166 program. The purpose of the credential goal will be to promote increases in training that lead to the attainment of industry recognized credentials and employment. The credential goal will be in addition to the existing three performance measures for the Native American program (entered employment, employment retention and average earnings).